Lee, I'd love to play you for the sake of the forums' entertainment. I cant remember the last time I have lost to a 3.5 player in singles to be honest. There are a lot of great older players here who can hang, but they all have speed and footwork and play at a 4.5 level still.

I am not just a guy who hits for pace. I value placement over that and like to hit into either corner with my strokes. So you need to be able to run side to side, and from the sampling I saw of you walking, I dont think that is going to happen throughout a match.

Anyway, why you keep posting and telling me we would have a close match is beyond me because I never posted video to really have hypothetical matches with people on the web. Who knows, maybe you would smoke me and teach me something, but I play some amazing older guys who eat up pace, hit impeccable droppers and still retained good footspeed, so I wouldnt be taken by surprise.

Since we live on opposite coasts, this is probably never going to happen so it is a waste of time to think that much about.

With all that aside, I am interested in the 12 pounds. Where did this number come from and what do I gain from this? I'd love to drop 12 pounds if it will help my tennis, but it will cost me some muscle in the process. Like I said, I am already very fast on the court according to my coach, so is this a speed thing or what?

You should learn from Cheetah. When he posts advice, he doesnt make it about himself, he just drops great details that can help. With you, everything seems like you are out to prove yourself and one up everybody all the time.

Nice post. Let me say that I really like LeeD's posts, but from what I've seen on video so far it wouldn't be a contest. Your game, PP, seems much stronger (LeeD, post some vids of match play ... I loved your form on the serving stuff you posted).

Now, about the 12 lbs. I recently went from 200 to 185 (I'm a little over 6 feet, and shrinking). Simply because I cut out lots of sources of sugar. No soft drinks. No sugar in the coffee. No candy (that I ate more or less obsessively). Less bread. Less carbs and more protein and veggies in general. Etc. I don't think I've lost any muscle or strength, and I do feel better. (Which might just be a function of playing more, I don't know). So, I would suggest just starting with cutting out any unnecessary sugar and carb ingestion. See where it takes you, then go from there.

Yes, it would be an interesting match.
PP right now can knock my socks off just hitting.
I've never been known as a good hitter. Always been known as a good player.
What bother's me now is high bouncers over and over again, deep and consistent, with tons of topspin. I just can't seem to beat those 5.0 players.
What killed me last year in a couple of sets was the redirector. That style of play, dinking short and low, angled and atop the sidelines, is a style most people don't want to play against, certainly not with an injured ankle and wanting to practice hitting out on groundies, against controlled redirection.
But most 4.0's, and most 4.5's, I can do OK against, or at least stay even.
Would be interesting, a lefty S/V player with an solid wide slice serve vs a strong backcourt pounder with great movement.

cool. the best thing about this is that you'll pick it up right away. the noticeable difference in feel is so strong and positive that you'll just start doing it. you won't have to 'practice' it.

PP, hope you don't mind me bringing up your stroke mechanics again.

I thought, just like Cheetah did, that the stroke looked awesome up until the very finish. I think maybe the arm is a bit too stiff at the end, like you're muscling it a bit. And you do seem to have plenty of muscle.

I just take nearly every ball from on top or or inside the baseline, and be aggressive.

Sadly, it's heavily reliant on maintaining practice to be successful. But it's not as reliant on being confident in my game as it used to be. If I practice as regularly as I normally look to do, then the percentages will be there to back up the confidence.

Also, I find I do best when I have the general confidence in my forehand and overall play to come to the net often and really go down the line with my shots. The times I hit a forehand from inside the court and stay back near the baseline, going crosscourt is when I can tell I'm pushing and praying for errors. Oh, and I aim to hit a lot of forehands.

I would love to change up the pace of the rallies more often, but I'm too set naturally to want to be aggressive so that I can be at net, at least when I'm confident or level-headed.

I play with junk, to me it annoys the opponent more to change the spin or pace rather than constantly hit the same shot
Also I feel I'm more athletic than a lot of my opponents so probably defensive junk balling works best for me
Followed by serve and volleying

Bit off topic, but didn't want to start a new thread: How would you describe the comfort, firmness, & power level of the BLX Blade compared to the KBlade 98 and PD2012? Have you tried the Dunlop F 3.0 Tour?

Did I ever say I was a model physical specimen. I'm 63, and you know my list of injuries.
PP, I'm just saying a pro can have you lower body build, but every single one has less muscle up top, because their goal is tennis, and tennis only.
I WISH I had your upper body, but I don't. Too bad.
You KNOW, if you lost muscle weight in the upper body, got in slightly better lower body shape, your tennis would improve another level...speed, quickness, endurance. That's all I"m saying.

Lee is right on the money here. I wouldn't worry about it, because you are
playing excellent tennis and really looking sharp out there hitting!
But less bulk up top would surely to some extent.
Very nice bite to that TS.

Lee is right on the money here. I wouldn't worry about it, because you are
playing excellent tennis and really looking sharp out there hitting!
But less bulk up top would surely to some extent.
Very nice bite to that TS.

haha...and while you're at it, grow to at least Sharapova's height. LOL

__________________
check the facts before believing what you read and hear...or accept blame for not doing so.

Yes, a girl can certainly affect/effect our entire game..
I just got a crewcut in anticipation of 3 weeks in PuertoRico. She HATES it, really despises it. I've had long hair, down past my collar for 5 years. I love it, LOVE it.
Now realize, her Dad, her brother, her brother in law, all their boy cousins, ALL have short crewcuts.
I can't win for losing.

If he was fighting MMA, I think he has a chance of beating every single one of us....especially me.
But all this talk and TENNIS practice, he would cover another 18" in all directions AND recover quicker with a muscle mass drop in the upper body. Keep the legs strong.
And spring up another 2" on every serve, increasing the strike point height, to get more faster serves IN.